If you like classic video games, you have a lot of options. Unfortunately, most are either limited, such as digital distribution stores with incomplete catalogs, or technically illegal, like downloading ROMs and emulators. Your collection of cartridges from the 8- and 16-bit eras are useless if you don't still have the systems that ran them. Fortunately, there are some legitimate ways to get around that without counting on eBay for reliable decades-old electronics. Retro game consoles let you play your classic games as they were meant to be played: by blowing on the connectors, wiggling the cartridges, and hoping they start.

Last year, we were impressed by the Retro-Bit Super Retro Trio, a combo console that could play Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Super NES (SNES), and Sega Genesis games just like the original systems. We're even more impressed by the Hyperkin RetroN 5, which eclipses the Super Retro Trio and its own predecessor, the RetroN 3, in every way. This $159.99 box can play games from nine different systems, outputs all games over HDMI at gorgeous, crisp 720p, and packs loads of tricks previously only seen in software emulators. It easily earns our Editors' Choice distinction for everything it does, and does well.

Similar Products

DesignThe RetroN 5 looks similar to the RetroN 3 and Super Retro Trio in basic design. It's just a chunky plastic box (available in black or gray, with purple highlights for both) measuring 2 by 7.9 by 11.8 inches (HWD) and weighing two pounds, with cartridge slots on the top. The console has four top-loading slots for Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Super Nintendo/Super Famicom, NES, and Famicom cartridges. It has an additional slot on the front for Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance carts. The front of the console also has a power button and a row of lights to indicate both that the system is on and that a cartridge is in a specific slot. A large indentation behind the top-loading slots holds the included Bluetooth controller when not in use. The back of the system has a power connector, a mini USB port for charging the controller (curiously, it uses a rare mini USB-to-micro USB cable rather than full-sized USB for one end), an HDMI output, and an SD card slot.

Thanks to a set of NES, SNES, and Genesis controller ports on both the left and right sides of the RetroN 5, you can use your old controllers (or new ones from companies like Retro-bit) with your games. The system also comes with its own Bluetooth controller that, while not perfect, is functional. It's an 11-button controller with an eight-direction joystick shaped like an analog stick. The stick has a bit too much wiggle and the shoulder buttons are almost invisible, but it's a good backup to have if you don't have any old gamepads or just want to play wirelessly. The Bluetooth connection makes it stable and responsive without requiring line of sight.

Graphical InterfaceTurning the RetroN 5 on and watching it boot up gives a good sense of just how different it is from other retro consoles. Mostly because it actually boots up. The RetroN 3 and Super Retro Trio are basically Frankenstein's monster amalgams of NES, SNES, and Genesis systems in one box; you flick a switch, turn the power on, and an analog video signal of the game you're playing on the system you're playing goes out to your television. The RetroN 5 is a computer with its own user interface and an HDMI video output, which makes it much more complex and capable of many more tricks than the other systems.

The RetroN 5 actually runs multiple emulators, or rather parts of multiple emulators. The system itself is based on Linux, and the different game systems are emulated with source code from VBA-M, Genesis Plus GX, FCEU-Next, and SNES9x-Next. These are open source emulators available for non-commercial license under the GNU General Public License and its variants. Hyperkin offers the source code of the emulators as they're used in the RetroN 5 on its website.

By default, the RetroN 5 outputs over HDMI at 720p, scaling everything to fit your HDTV with a full graphical menu system at your games' backs instead of just facsimiles of the original game consoles' hardware. When you insert a cartridge, the on-screen menu displays it loading the game's information, then provides a list of options. You can start playing immediately, map different controllers to different button settings, and adjust things like video scaling, whether you want to use smoothing filters, and even toggle scanlines. You can even load cheat codes as if you had a Game Genie, thanks to a free, downloadable database of cheats you can load on the RetroN 5 through the SD card slot.

Emulation TricksThe RetroN 5's computerized conversion features don't stop at video output. While the RetroN 3 and Super Retro Trio work like the original systems they imitate, the RetroN 5 functions more like an advanced emulation device. It automatically and temporarily dumps all ROM information from an inserted cartridge into the system and then loads that dumped ROM instead of the cart itself, like an emulator. It means that, once the system loads the game, you don't have to worry about a slight jostle disrupting everything by dislodging the cartridge (though it needs to stay in the slot while you play). This is generally a big benefit when playing, but it can also be slightly frustrating when you're loading a game; if the contacts aren't clean enough and aligned just right, the system will load the game as an unknown ROM with potential errors, or simply say it can't load the game. I had to pull cartridges out and push them back into the slot a few times before they appeared correctly on the RetroN 5. On the other hand, it meant the problems were much easier to pin down based on the errors compared with the previous consoles that simply either worked or didn't.

The ROM-dumping system lets the RetroN 5 use a wide variety of tools previously limited to computers with emulation software. Besides cheats, you can use save states to freeze games in exact moments, and continue from those moments later. It's a useful function for very difficult games and games with no save method, even if it can be considered its own kind of cheating. You can also take screenshots at the touch of a button and save them to an SD card. The included Bluetooth controller has dedicated buttons for save states, but you can also map these emulator-specific features to button combinations on any of your classic gamepads.

PerformanceThanks to the built-in HDMI upconverter, classic games look fantastic on the RetroN 5. In my tests, it output NES, SNES, and Genesis games from my collection to an HDTV in 720p, and the result was bright, crisp, and colorful across the board. You can use a variety of smoothing filters, but I found that classic games look best with no filter and scanlines enabled. It makes the sprite-based graphics look incredibly sharp.

I played Little Nemo, 3D Worldrunner, and Dragon Spirit for the NES; Killer Instinct, Super Mario All-Stars, F-Zero, and NBA Jam Tournament Edition for the SNES; and Genesis 6-Pak, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Strider, and Super Street Fighter 2 for the Genesis on the RetroN 5, and all worked perfectly. I had to occasionally remove and re-insert a cartridge because the system would read it as an unknown game, but in each case it eventually identified the game and loaded it with no problem. The only hiccup I had was trying to load Batman for the NES, which gave a power fault error. Since these cartridges are old, it's difficult to tell if it's a problem with the contacts or if the game itself was damaged. The RetroN 5 also plays Famicom, Game Boy, and Game Boy Advance games, but I didn't have any on hand to test those functions.

The Hyperkin RetroN 5 is the best retro game console we've seen yet. While it's basically just a computer filled with emulators at its core, the ability to play your own physical classic games from nine different systems easily on your HDTV is fantastic. The high-definition upconversion makes classic games look gorgeous, and the plethora of emulator-specific features add a lot to the experience. Loading your computer, smartphone, or tablet with emulators and ROMs might be more convenient, but it's also less legal. The RetroN 5 combines the best parts of emulation with the legitimacy and collector's satisfaction of using your own cartridges, and earns our Editors' Choice.

Read More

About the Author

Will Greenwald has been covering consumer technology for a decade, and has served on the editorial staffs of CNET.com, Sound & Vision, and Maximum PC. His work and analysis has been seen in GamePro, Tested.com, Geek.com, and several other publications. He currently covers consumer electronics in the PC Labs as the in-house home entertainment expert... See Full Bio

Hyperkin RetroN 5

Hyperkin RetroN 5

Get Our Best Stories!

This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.